Alice of Caring Sacrifice
by EpicSmiley12
Summary: A dream. A spade. A diamond. A club. A heart. The loss of caring in a corrupt Wonderland. (I don't know, just give it a read, please.)
1. Prologue: The Dream

**Hi there again, friends! This next story is not a one-shot, and therefore won't be completely uploaded in one day. However, it is rather short, so it'll be done in little to no time at all. I hope you enjoy it! ALSO please note that the characters here might be a little OOC, but at the same time their roles are somewhat fitting…*smiles creepily***

Once upon a time, there existed a little dream.

It was really small and insignificant; such a tiny dream it was.

Though no-one had dreamed it in countless ages, it did have a name. The name its master had thought up for it had long been lost, so the dream thought up a new name for itself. Thus it was dubbed the Bedtime, after the time it had been created.

The dream was distraught. Worry and fear stirred within its heart, its existence. Had this dream a hand and head, its head would have been clutched in that hand. Had this dream a lungs to breathe with, it would breathe sharply as the smoke of anxiety filled its lungs. Unfortunately, this dream had nothing. No head, no hands, no lungs, no breath.

And yet it suffocated.

The dream choked and gasped; cold dread gripped it like a frozen vice as it grew closer and closer to its horrid fate.

"No," it gasped. "No, I can't...I don't want to disappear. I don't want to go away...I can't. I can't. I don't want to leave this world…" Had this dream eyes and tears, it would have wept. "Why won't it stop? What can I do? How can I make people dream of me?"

The dream shivered within its bodiless being. How could it stop its fate? How could it avoid the horrid, inevitable future, the cruel destiny worming its way into this short? short existence? The dream thought and thought. It thought for a very long time.

Then it smiled.

It smiled a twisted, broken grin. Anticipation sent shivers through it as slowly, a body formed around it. The dream moved its arms...its legs...its paws.

"If I can't stay here in **this** world…"

It felt the darkness around it. The dream gripped it, hugged it, embraced it.

"Perhaps I can…"

Its new mouth parted slightly. The darkness flowed within it.

"Create…"

Eyes appeared. They were of two different colours, the left a striking green, the right a crimson red. The dream smiled, its mouth glowing in the darkness.

"...my own."


	2. Act 1: The Spade

Champ Bear wasn't quite sure where he was, or how he got there. Wherever he was, it was strange, dark, and incredibly odd. There was not much light save for the pale moon that he could just barely see through the silhouettes of gnarled trees and immense flowers. He paused to touch the petal of one of the several oversized roses, but it seemed to recoil before his paw could get near. He wasn't sure why, but an old story popped into his head, one about a strange and crazy world where nothing made sense, where the flowers acted like sentient beings…then he remembered the story he had heard from Good Luck several years ago when the green bear had gone with Tenderheart, Swift Heart, and the others to…

"...Wonderland?" he surprised himself with his own whisper. "Am I in Wonderland?"

Champ leaned against the bark of a tree, suddenly feeling lightheaded. He tried to breathe, and managed to take in the near-stifling earthy scent of the wood, the musky aroma of rainwater and soil and moss and the perfume of sleepy giant flowers. It was dizzying; he closed his eyes.

A small _crack_ made him open them again.

His ears perked. Silence filled the wood. He slowed his breath and strained his ears for another sound. At first, there was nothing. Then, from the foliage on his left, he heard another snap and a small rustle. His pulse quickened, and he slowly turned to the source of the sound. Fear began to course through his veins, and he backed away from the dark brush. The rustling grew louder and closer...then ceased. The pregnant silence lasted only a moment; a low, menacing sound began to fill the air. It was a growl. The sound sent chills down Champ Bear's spine. He was frozen. Time slowed down to crawling seconds as a figure lunged from the bush.

A strangled sound left Champ's throat as he fell backward, numb in the legs with panic. The creature was ghastly and macabre, to say the least. Mangy tangles stuck out in its obsidian fur. Red-tinged ropes of saliva hung from its bared, pointed teeth, and sickly yellow eyes glared at him hungrily. A rancid, rotting smell filled Champ's nose, making his eyes water. The creature appeared to be some sort of dog, but it was humongous, and Champ knew not of a hound this large. All he could do was back away as the creature slowly stalked toward him, a menacing gleam in its eyes. With a gulp, he tried to think the nicest thoughts possible to summon a Care Bear Stare. He shot the beam of feelings straight at the beast. When it ceased, however, the monster only seemed a little dazed - and that confusion only lasted for a moment.

Champ shivered and fought down a desperate scream. He wasn't used to being this frightened. He had never encountered an enemy like this, either. He struggled to stand up and backpedal away, but with every step he took, the...the CREATURE took two toward him, and with every sound, it narrowed its eyes until they were little more than two golden slits. Within his ears, Champ thought he could hear a little whisper…

_Shun the frumious Bandersnatch…Bandersnatch…Bandersnatch…_

Champ missed a step, and fell backward. He winced as his right paw came in contact with something cold and hard. He dared himself to look back up at the monster advancing on him, who was growing more agitated by the second.

The monster gave a feral growl, and lunged.

In desperation, Champ picked up the closest thing, the cold, hard thing he had touched, and swung at the creature.

_Snicker-snack._

After a moment of complete silence, Champ hesitantly opened his eyes. What he saw made him freeze and gasp in horror.

As it turned out, the thing he had grabbed was a sword. The blade had proven incredibly sharp, and had sliced through the creature's neck. The Bandersnatch keeled over in slow motion, its head rolling away into the wood. Champ raised the vorpal sword hesitantly. He stared at the shimmering red liquid dripping down the blade. He was still for minutes on end.

"I murdered it…"

It felt like his nerves were on fire, like his senses were more alive than they had ever been.

"No, I killed it…"

His heart beat faster, the adrenaline spawned from the encounter refusing to leave his system.

"No...I overcame it. It was my enemy. I defeated it."

A loud gurgling sound behind him made his fur stand on end. Startled, he whipped around, inadvertently spinning the sword again.

_Snicker-snack._

Water and an earthy-smelling green fluid splashed onto his face. The snapdragon's head fell to the ground, still open from its attempt to taste-test the golden bear. Champ's eyes widened.

"It's like everything around her is trying to kill me...but I defeated them. I defeated them with one strike."

Slowly, a sick smile etched its way across his face.

"I bet I can defeat ANYTHING that tries to test me. After all, it's my only means of defense. The Stare didn't work. Without this blade…" he looked almost fondly at the vorpal sword. "I'd be defenseless here. And now that I have this, I should try to get out of here."

So he made his way through the forest. His nerves were still very much on end, and every little sound made him either jump or brandish the sword. He cut down every predator he encountered, from snapdragon to ravenous vultures, and eventually just began to cut down everything altogether, whether it was a tree, flower, or animal in his way. A bloody red trail began to follow him through Wonderland.

From behind a halved tree stump, a furry blue head appeared.

"What on Earth is he doing?" Bedtime wondered. "He's destroying my world! This won't do, this won't do at all. I must stop him somehow…"

Champ had come to a rather thick group of trees. He lifted the sword with a condescending smile, expecting the plants to fall at the blade like all the others. However, the moment he swung, the trees dodged. His smile was replaced with a confused frown. He swung again, and again the trees ducked away. The confusion was replaced by irritation, but that was replaced by worry when the branches began to reach toward him. He gulped as one vine wrapped itself around his arms, squeezing tightly and scratching him so that bleeding welts appeared beneath his fur. The vorpal blade clattered to the ground below.

"No...stop!" he cried desperately. "Stop it. Let me go. Let me go!" his demands and pleas were in vain; the vines and branches encircled his waist and pulled him closer. "NO…!"

His cries were cut short as the branches covered him, covered his ears and eyes and mouth. He was silent. the scratches on his arms caused blood to drip down to the blade that had fallen from his paw.

Deep into the darkened forest, Alice walked the line.

Captured and imprisoned as an embodiment of sin.

If it were not for the murderous wake left behind, no-one would have suspected that he had ever been.


	3. Act 2: The Diamond

**Hey everybody! How's about another act for this one? Hope the characters aren't too OOC; however, for the sake of matching the story, I'm afraid this part will be quite out of character for the CBF member I selected. Well, enjoy the next one!**

"Hmph," Grumpy sighed as he kicked a rock down the sidewalk. "Just my luck. I'm stranded in this strange place without a soul around…" he looked up at the early evening sky. "I have no direction, no place to stay…" his stomach growled. "And no food, either." He scowled darkly at the ground.

He continued walking, kicking the rock harder than before. He was indeed in a very strange place. It appeared to be a small town or village, but not a single living creature was around besides himself. The streets were abandoned and oddly spotless, save for a few pebbles here and there. No lights illuminated windows, no sounds came from within buildings. As much as Grumpy Bear liked to go off and sulk by himself when he was upset, he had never felt so alone in his life and was wishing for someone, anyone to appear, even if it was only a pidgeon.

"What kind of lonely place is this?" he griped. "Isn't there anything living around here? I've heard of ghost towns, but this…" he took a moment to view his surroundings. "It's just plain abandon-"

He trailed off when he heard the faintest of sounds coming from just up ahead. He paused, listened; there it was again. He couldn't quite discern what it was, but it sounded a bit like a tune, an instrument. A piano, maybe?

The more he walked, the louder the music became. He felt almost drawn to it, which was unusual for him. He wasn't one to listen to a lot of music, especially not the classical sound flowing from whatever was up ahead. And yet...yet he was beginning to enjoy it. What was WRONG with him? This wasn't natural. This wasn't normal. This was…

"Wait a minute…" Grumpy stopped in his tracks. He squinted his eyes, peering up the road. "Is that…"

A cloud of dust and a rapid clopping sound could be heard. A form could be seen within it, large and hulking and moving. A carriage, pulled by two horses, one milk white and the other crimson red. The vehicle pulled up beside Grumpy, and the door slowly opened

.

"Wha...you!?" he gasped as recognition washed over him. He immediately got into a defensive pose, not for the first passenger in the carriage but the second, for there were two very familiar faces within the car.

The first of these two was the White Rabbit. He looked strangely different from the last encounter he and Grumpy had shared. He seemed thicker, a bit more roundness on his limbs and middle rather than the lanky skinniness they had once boasted. He wore the same uniform of red and yellow, and there was one small addition: a small hat with a jet black feather stuck through it. He regarded Grumpy with more or less complete apathy. No expression played on his face; neither his eyes or his mouth hidden behind his long white mustache indicated any sign of the recognition Grumpy Bear was certain he himself showed.

The second of the passengers, however, was someone Grumpy knew all too well. His cut bishop hat bent where the tall man reached the ceiling in the car, and his long black robe spilled on the floor. He sat cordially, and like the White Rabbit, showed no real emotion toward the little blue bear. He did, however, show a mild sign of irritation, which was indicated by his furrowed brow and dissecting glare. Without doubt, this was the Wizard of Wonderland.

"You are late," he spoke in a sharp, clear voice. "The concert is due to begin any second now. You must come with us to the theatre. In you come, now."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Grumpy started. "White Rabbit, what's going on here?"

"There's no TIME!" the rabbit shouted. He reached out and grabbed Grumpy's paw with seemingly random strength, pulling the Care Bear into the carriage. "We must get you there quickly. DRIVE!" this last command was directed at the horses, for from what Grumpy could see the carriage had no tangible horseman.

"Wait just a minute!" Grumpy said in exasperation. "I-WHOAH!"

The carriage lurched, sending Grumpy face first into the thankfully cushioned seat. Still, he groaned in pain and rubbed his head in the place that took the brunt of the contact. Before he could complain, however, he was pulled from the car and back outside. This didn't last long, for next he was pushed roughly onto a platform.

"We're here," a soft voice said; he pinned it as that of the Rabbit's. "Give them your best."

Grumpy was finally able to slow down and look at his surroundings. Almost immediately, he wished he hadn't. He was standing in front of what looked like thousands of Wonderland's inhabitants. They all looked at him expectantly, not a sound going through the expansive audience. Grumpy swallowed hard, and noticed the microphone in front of him. What did they all expect him to do? He was no singer. That was Harmony's job. He had hardly any experience with music, save for a couple times when he somehow managed to be in a good mood that he whistled, if only for a few seconds to fill an empty silence. He couldn't remember a time when he'd actually sung…perhaps once when he was little, but certainly not in recent years.

No sooner had he gotten his initial thoughts together did something happen. He heard a piano...softly, at first, but within moments it grew louder. He could hear the soft tinkling notes of a song he wasn't familiar with, but when he listened closer, he could hear the slightest bit of familiarity…

"_Ichibanme ARISU wa isamashiku  
Ken wo katate ni, fushigi no kuni  
Ironna mono wo kiriusutete  
Makka na michi wo shiite itta."_

It wasn't until the first four lines left him that he realized two things. Firstly, this song was the very same one he had heard while walking up the street. Secondly, the person singing the words...the owner of the voice…

It was...him?

"_Sonna ARISU wa mori no oku.  
Tsumibito no you ni tojikomerarete.  
Mori ni dekita michi igai ni,  
Kanojyo no sei wo shiro sube wa nashi."_

These lyrics...where were they coming from? He didn't know them at all...and they didn't even sound English! Of course, being a Care Bear, he knew how to communicate with people from all parts of the world, but for some reason he couldn't really grasp the meaning behind these words. He stopped singing, looking nervously out at the crowd, which seemed to have grown bigger, if that was possible. There was a moment of complete silence.

Then there was an uproar of applause.

Grumpy blinked, completely taken aback. He watched as the citizens of Wonderland clapped and cheered. Were they...were they doing this for him? Praising him? For his SINGING, of all things? He was in a daze.

Then they called for more.

Grumpy Bear took a deep breath. This feeling was foreign to him. Of course, he often got praise and good comments from his family and friends, but this...this was an entire crowd of strangers. People who had only known him for a minute, and who seemed to love him...and for what? For his voice. A small, bemused smile played on his face as he slowly realized that this praise felt…

Rather nice.

He opened his mouth and began to sing again.

"_Nibanme ARISU wa otonashiku _

_uta o utatte, fushigi no kuni._

_ironna oto o afuresasete, _

_kurutta sekai o umidashita._

_sonna ARISU wa, bara no hana._

_ikareta otoko ni uchikorosarete._

_makka na hana o ichirin sakase_

_minna ni mederare karete yuku."_

As the second verse ended, the applause grew louder. He saw some people in the front row begin to dance slowly to the tune of the song. Grumpy felt a near-foreign stretch on his cheeks and mouth...a grin. A big, wide grin. He opened his mouth, letting the words come to him again.

"_Sanbanme ARISU wa osanai ko. _

_kirei na sugata de, fushigi no kuni._

_ironna hito o madowasete, _

_okashi na kuni o tsukuriageta._

_sonna ARISU wa, kuni no joou._

_ibitsu na yume ni toritsukarete._

_kuchiyuku karada ni obienagara, _

_kuni no chouten ni kunrin suru."_

The smile refused to leave his face. He'd never thought he would ever be on the receiving end of so much appreciation, so much praise...outside of his family, of course. It was amazing. He loved it. He couldn't get enough. He continued his song, no longer caring what the lyrics meant or even what sounds were leaving his mouth:

"_Mori no komichi o tadottari _

_bara no ki no shita de ochakai_

_o-shiro kara no shoutaijou wa _

_HAATO no TORANPU…"_

Grumpy's grin was growing to Cheshire proportions. He couldn't get enough of this feeling. He didn't even know what twisted words he was singing to his audience, but he found that he didn't even care. All he could hear was the applause, the praise, the admiration. He loved it all. He loved it so very much.

"...MAD…."

The word caught him off guard. It hadn't come from him, and it hadn't even come from the cheering audience. He stopped his song, looking around for the source of the word that seemed so out of place.

"EVIL…"

"LIES…"

"POISONOUS…"

He looked around frantically, now becoming a little worried. Where was this strange voice coming from, and why could he hear it so distinctly over the din of the crowd? Grumpy stepped away from the mic and surveyed the entire theatre. His vision caught on the balcony…

_BANG._

He was still for a moment. Then, slowly, he touched his paw to his eye. Little red droplets fell to the ground. He could hear them hit, sounding like soft piano keys. Grumpy fell to his knees and onto his side. He watched, motionless, as blood formed a beautiful looking rose around his head. Ever so slowly, he smiled.

Deadly yet so beautiful, a voice just like a rose.

Was shot by a madman, who silenced him to death.

Single rose bloomed in his place, with no music composed.

With twisted grin, this dying man lay breathing his last breath.


	4. Act 3: The Club

"It's beautiful here," was all Cheer Bear could find to say. "So lovely…" She breathed deeply, taking in the sweet smell of countless flowers. She was in some sort of garden. The scenery was unfamiliar to her, but she found that she didn't really mind. It was too lovely, to breathtaking a place to be alarmed by. Briefly she wondered if she was dreaming, but she could feel the grass beneath her paws and the breeze on her face, and she fiercely doubted that notion. Thus, she was rather content to just wander in the flower fields, the afternoon sun warm on her face.

"Oh, er, excuse me!"

A voice from behind her caused Cheer to turn around. She blinked, wondering if her eyes were deceiving her. But as the little creature came running up to her, somehow she knew that it wasn't just an illusion.

"Why, you're a baby unicorn!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands in joy. "How cute!"

"Hi! Yep, I'm a unicorn, that's me," the foal said joyfully. It had a very light voice, and Cheer couldn't quite tell if it was a filly or a colt. "Um…" here the little unicorn looked down, pawing the ground sheepishly before looking back to Cheer with big, earnest eyes."I-I just couldn't help but come over and tell you how pretty you are, Miss!"

"Oh?" Cheer raised a paw to her cheek. She smiled at the darling little creature. "Why, thank you very much! You're cute as a button!"

"Hehe!" the unicorn smiled. "Thank you, Miss! Wow, you're pretty AND kind. Yes, you'd do perfectly!"

"P-perfectly for what?" Cheer asked, tilting her head. The unicorn stepped forward eagerly.

"Miss, please come with me to the castle! It's this way!" with that, the unicorn turned around and began to gallop across the field.

"Huh? W-wait!" she shouted, rushing after him.

They ran through the seemingly endless garden, but oddly enough, Cheer Bear found that she wasn't running out of breath at all. It also seemed that they were moving faster with each foot they ran. Finally, Cheer could see an incredibly large castle appearing on the horizon. She couldn't help but smile at the majestic sight. The unicorn stopped in front of her, and she stopped right behind it so as to prevent a crash. She stared up at the spires that seemed to pierce the heavens, her jaw hanging open a little. Her attention was called back to the ground when the little unicorn called out into the castle's courtyard.

"We've arrived!" it called. "I've found her! I've found the one!"

"You've found her?" another voice came from the yard, coming closer as seconds passed by. "You've really found the one?"

"I sure did!" the unicorn stamped its hoof proudly. "I found the one we've been looking for."

"What do you mean?" Cheer asked. "Have you been looking for someone?"

"We certainly have," the second voice said. As its owner rounded the corner, she could see that it was a stout little man with a teal top hat nearly twice as big as his body. "And YOU, my dear, are the one!"

"But I don't understand," Cheer tilted her head again. "The one for what?"

"The one to be the new queen of Wonderland, of course!" the hatted man said. "Now come along, we must get you ready for your coronation!"

"Eh!?"

"I don't know if I can do this," Cheer said softly, as if talking to herself. "I don't even know how I got here, and they're asking me to be queen?"

"They obviously seem to think you're queen material," she shook her head and said back. "Just look at you...you're gorgeous!"

She looked herself over in the mirror. It was true; she was a sight for sore eyes. She had been given a dress that she could only begin to describe as elegant: it was a beautiful light green hue with soft white lace and trimmings that went well with her light pink fur. Her hair had been utilized to its full length. It was brushed and curled into two soft ringlet pigtails, showing off her youthful face. She didn't have much makeup on, but what little she did have perfectly complimented her big blue eyes. She had always thought of herself as beautiful, but this had seemingly multiplied it by ten.

"Not to mention how nice everyone thinks you are," she went on. "Even the slightest compliment you give them makes them smile and praise you back. They LOVE you."

"Not to mention they do seem to really want me as their leader...I wouldn't want to let them down...perhaps I really could give this a try."

The coronation and the days that followed were, in short, heavenly. Cheer experienced praise and happiness wherever she went. There were feasts and parties in her honor. Every servant and advisor, from the Mad Hatter to the little unicorn, that lived in the castle were at her beck and call. She had to admit that all the pampering was beginning to go to her head. No matter how large her ego grew, however, she just couldn't find it in her heart to hurt any of her new subjects, especially the ones who had shown her exceptional kindness.

Days turned to weeks, which then turned to months. Cheer grew used to her life as queen, and began to forget altogether about her previous life. Her hubris grew immensely, but still she was kind and cheerful - complacent was more like it. However, this newfound lifestyle was taking a toll on Wonderland's citizens that she could not see. As she became more and more renowned throughout the country, more and more people began to do more than wait on her...they began to devote their very lives to her, their very existence. The slightest notion of disappointing her was unheard of, and thinking of such things sent chills down the spines of many. No-one could even begin to imagine who would want to harm the queen. After all, she had been so good to them. There were rare occasions when crimes occurred, but even then Queen Cheer only arrested the offender and flat out refused to use the gleaming, sharpened guillotine in the castle.

All of this goodness, of course, was never meant to last.

One night, when the grinning moon beamed his smile down on the castle, Queen Cheer Bear had a dream. This dream was not, however, considered normal, even for a nightmare.

It was like a vision in many ways. Within it, she could see her glorious kingdom falling apart. The people turned against her, the happiness abandoned the land, the sun refused to shine. The sky and everything beneath it were coated with red and black, and the beautiful garden of life and variety was destroyed in a rotten, decaying haze of fear and hatred. And through all this, the Queen saw herself. She was bound, tortured, _dying_. She stood amidst all this destruction, her mouth open in a silent scream of agony. It hadn't been her doing, goodness no. It had been...her subjects.

The very people who loved her and devoted their lives to her had turned against her with the drop of a dime. They had set fire to the prosperity she had helped them reach. They jeered at her words and they laughed at her pain. As if watching a horror movie from a TV screen, Cheer could only watch as she drew her last breath and died at the hands of her people.

She awoke with tears in her eyes, screaming and kicking and pulling at her hair. Her handmaids all rushed into her chambers, but she refused to let them touch her. She balked at the notion of speaking to anyone, and paranoia gripped her for several days. She snapped at anyone who passed, and gazed blankly at anything that looked suspicious. The very hours weighed heavily on her psyche. She only went places with the most trusted of her guards, and even they had lost much of her confidence. If any questions were raised about her increased caution, she simply smiled and said:

"I am your Queen. Surely I must be safe at all times? What would you do if I were no longer here to guide our beautiful land?"

The people tried to reason with her, but any word of disagreement was met with an outlandish claim of treason, and any attempt to defend themselves was met with a previously unspoken, yet simple sentence.

"Off with their head."

So she rose into the throne to be the country's queen.

Consumed by paranoia of her own impending death.

Soon the queen succumbed to a dark and nightmarish dream.

Disguised in kindness, loathing fate, she secured her regime.


	5. Act 4: The Heart

**I put the main author's note at the end of this Act to avoid spoilers. Please read it when you're done. Thanks.**

"Gosh, it's so quiet here, Tugs."

"There's gotta be someone around here somewhere, though, Hugs!"

"But we've been walking for ages," the little pink cub let her arms droop, swinging them from side to side in front of her. "And there's nothing but trees and plants. The flowers are really pretty, though." she looked up at the enormous roses that mingled with the trees.

"Maybe if we walk a little more, we'll find something," Tugs said, pointing forward.

The two cubs had indeed been walking for quite a while. Though they somehow didn't grow weary of their trek, they were becoming rather bored with the unchanging scenery and the seemingly endless path through the woods.

"Maybe...oh, look, Tugs! I see something up ahead!" Hugs cried, pointing up the path toward a small clearing. Both cubs ran toward the area.

"Ohh, goody goody gosh," Hugs smiled, putting her paws on her cheeks. "A tea party!"

The layout of the clearing was splendid. Wildflowers lined the perimeter of the oval-like space, and the grass was neat and green. A rich mahogany table sat smack in the middle of the oval, with two small chairs on either end, shaded by the tall trees. The table, of course, was set for two: two teacups, two teaspoons, two neatly folded napkins, a medium-sized teapot, a sugar bowl, a cream bowl, and two small tier platters of teatime sweets.

"This looks wonderful!" Hugs gushed, rushing over to the table and sitting immediately. Tugs followed close behind, looking around at the perimeter of trees for any sign of another creature. Despite his caution, his childish curiosity got the better of him, and he too sat down to tea.

Despite the fact that the two little cubs were rather clumsy in their ways and weren't quite able to pour tea correctly, they somehow managed to fill their cups without spilling a drop. They ate and drank and chatted happily, talking about nothing in particular but still managing to say meaningful things. Whilst they were eating and drinking and chatting, a peculiar sound from above caused them to look up. An incredibly large bird was circling overhead. It cawed once, twice, and then from its talons something fluttered down to the tea table.

"What is it, Tugs?" Hugs asked, getting up to look over her brother's shoulder as he picked up the scrap of paper.

"It looks like an envelope," he said. "'To Tugs and Hugs Bear'..."

Ooh, it's for us! Go on, open it!" Hugs said excitedly. Tugs did so.

"Huh? It's just a card," he said upon opening the envelope. He pulled out the card so that his sister could see. Indeed, it was a playing card with a bright yellow heart on one side. Upon turning it over, the twins saw that there was a message written on it. "'You are cordially invited to the Great Heart Palace of Wonderland in order to attend an audience with the Queen.'"

"W-We got invited to a palace? By a QUEEN?" Hugs grinned. "Ohh, what are we waiting for, Tugs? Let's go!"

"But," Tugs started, getting up from the table. "We don't know which way the palace is."

"Oh, yeah…" Hugs seemed to deflate. Tugs, unhappy with disappointing his sister, looked around frantically.

"Um...let's try that way!" he said, pointing to a bright red path leading away from the clearing. "C'mon, Hugs!" the pink cub brightened and started toward her brother.

"Okay!"

"M-m-maybe we should have taken a different path, Tugs," Hugs stammered, shivering as she clutched her brother's arm. "This is scary…"

The bright red path they had taken had not led them to an equally bright area of the forest. As a matter of fact, it had led them to the very opposite. They were in the middle of a dim, red-tinged wood where the trees looked more gnarled than old, the flowers more feral than sleepy.

"Uhh...maybe we can go back, and find another one," Tugs gulped, gripping his sister's hand. "The Heart Palace can't be too far away."

"Ah! What was that?" Hugs squeaked at a sudden noise she had heard; a rustle. "Tugs, I don't like this anymore...I wanna go home…"

"We'll find a way out," the boy cub said hollowly. "We've gotta…"

"AH! There it is again," Hugs cried, letting go of her brother and stumbling away. "Noo...I'm scared! Help!" she began to whimper as she panicked.

"Hugs, don't freak out!" Tugs said worriedly. "We've got to stay…" he trailed off as several more rustles sounded from behind him. They got closer and closer, almost like footsteps…

Little Hugs Bear ran through the dark forest, crying out any and every name she knew, praying for anyone to get her out of there. In her panic she had run farther away from her brother, desperate to find a way out. Now that she had calmed down from her initial frenzy, she realized that being alone was much, much worse.

_Tep. Tep. Tep._

"T-Tugs?" she whispered, her voice shrill. "Is that you?"

_Tep. Tep. Tep._

"..." Shivers traveled up and down her spine, but she was unwilling to turn around. The footsteps were coming closer and closer, and in her mind she knew she couldn't just stand there. She took a step forward, and the footsteps got louder. It was then that she realized that she wouldn't be able to put any distance between her and whatever was coming up behind her. Gathering all the courage she could muster, she whipped herself around to face her stalker.

All she saw was gold and red and white and silver, gold fur and red stains and a big white smile and the glinting silver of something sharp and metal…

_Snicker-snack._

They were never woken from their terrifying dream.

Forever they would wander in this twisted fairytale.

**I am SO SORRY I did this to Hugs and Tugs, but this part was for twins, and they were the only twins that could be relevant enough...I made them just a little older here.**


	6. Final Act: Alice of Caring Sacrifice

Powder blue paws tread along a darkened path, the only path that connected all of Wonderland together. A grinning red moon blazed away in the sky, and the Bedtime smiled as he tilted his face toward it. He strode proudly over his domain. He began to sing to himself as he visited each part of his world.

_The first Alice was the Champion Bear of the Spade._

_He carried vorpal sword within his hand._

_Mercilessly he cut down every creature in his way._

_A ghastly trail of blood followed him through Wonderland._

_Deep into the darkened forest, Alice walked the line._

_Captured and imprisoned as an embodiment of sin._

_If it were not for the murderous wake left behind,_

_No-one would have suspected that he had ever been._

_The second Alice was a Grumpy Bear of the Diamond._

_Hiding his true feelings within demented words,_

_He sang his twisted melodies to all of Wonderland,_

_Creating the image of the sick and the disturbed._

_Deadly yet so beautiful, a voice just like a rose,_

_Was shot by a madman, who silenced him to death._

_Single rose bloomed in his place, with music uncomposed._

_With twisted grin, this dying man lay breathing his last breath._

_The third Alice was a pretty, Cheerful Bear of Club._

_An enchanting, graceful figure in the world of Wonderland._

_She charmed the people in the land to every beck and call._

_A peculiar country answering to each command._

_So she rose into the throne to be the country's queen._

_Consumed by paranoia of her own impending death._

_Soon the queen succumed to a dark and nightmarish dream._

_Disguised in kindness, loathing fate, she secured her regime._

_And as this passed, two young cubs walked in the woods_

_Having tea beneath the trees, they never were apart,_

_They were invited for audience with the Queen._

_It was the Ace of Hearts…_

_The fourth Alice was a duo of curiosity._

_Both were walking without any inkling of location._

_And so they strolled along in the woods so recklessly._

_A brother and a sister playing about in Wonderland._

_A cheerful younger sister._

_A hopeful elder brother._

_But they had wandered too far into Alice's Wonderland…_

_They were never woken from their terrifying dream._

_Forever they would wander this twisted fairytale!_

Bedtime chuckled in spite of himself. He had entered the very same clearing that the twin cubs had been. The table had been reset completely, and he had sat down to a full cup of warm tea. With a flick of his paw, a deep black rose appeared in his fingers, the stem pinched between his middle and ring fingers. He kissed it gently and looked up to the sky.

"A shame the fun didn't last," he whispered. A knowing smile appeared on his face.

"I wonder...who will be the next Alice?"

FIN

**Well, that's it. That's the end. How was it? Did you like? Thanks for reading all the same :)**

**I forgot to add a disclaimer in the front of this little number, so I'll say it now. I DO NOT OWN THE CARE BEARS OR ANY RELATED CHARACTERS. THE SONG USED AS INSPIRATION FOR THIS FIC, ALICE OF HUMAN SACRIFICE, DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. I MERELY EDITED THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION TO FIT THE CHARACTERS. THANK YOU, THAT IS ALL.**

**See you next time!**


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